Shoe with sock lining and elastic collar

ABSTRACT

A flexible foot-conforming shoe  10  has an upper assembly  18  attached to a bottom assembly  26 . The upper assembly  18  includes a vamp  12  having an upper edge  34  to which an upper sock lining  14  is attached. An elastic strip  16  is also attached to the upper edge  34  of the vamp  12  to form an elastic collar for hugging the instep of a foot inserted in the shoe  10 . The bottom assembly  26  has a bottom sock lining  20  including a perimeter edge  46 . This perimeter edge  46  is fastened to a lower attachment edge  47  of the upper sock lining  14  to form a sock lining for surrounding the foot.

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.60/952,762 filed Jul. 30, 2007.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention is directed to shoes, and, more particularly, to animproved shoe combining a stitched sock lining, sometimes described as aSacchetto construction, with an elastic collar upper or an open toeupper.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

An established method for making shoes is known as “force lasting” inwhich to parts of the shoe are sewn onto a “sock.” The sock is thenpulled onto a last. Finally, a shaped outer sole is attached to finishthe shoe. This technique is sometimes also known as slip lasting, orCalifornia construction. Force lasting results in a light, flexible, andcomfortable shoe, wherein the foot is surrounded by a sock lining. Aparticularly desirable variant of force lasting construction is known asthe Sacchetto technique.

Construction of a shoe according to the Sacchetto technique begins withsewing together an upper sock lining with the vamp of the shoe to createan upper assembly. In this application, “vamp” is intended to refer tothe upper outside covering of the shoe. The upper assembly thereafter issewn to a multi-layer bottom assembly, which includes a bottom socklining over a soft and pliable inner sole. In a preferred method ofSacchetto construction, a layer of cushioning foam is interposed betweenthe bottom sock lining and the inner sole, forming a soft three-layeredassembly. In conventional “mounted” construction, the inner sole isconstructed of a more rigid material which provides a stiffer bottom. Incontrast, sewing the upper assembly to the multi-layer bottom assemblyaccording to the Sacchetto technique results in a sock-likeconfiguration the inside layer of which is a sock lining, intendedultimately for direct contact with the foot, supported by a light andflexible bottom. Sacchetto construction has distinct advantages, in thatit conforms the shoe to the bottom of the foot, allows the upper to moldaround the foot to accommodate a broader range of wide and narrow feet,molds comfortably around bunions, eliminates the need for an inner soleboard, as used in “mounted” constructions, and produces a light,flexible and comfortable shoe.

Another well known shoe construction technique involves the placement ofa strip of elastic material around the collar of the upper portion of ashoe creating an “elastic collar.” The elastic collar hugs and conformsthe top line of the shoe to the shape of the foot, and accommodates awide or narrow base of the instep, a high or low center of the instep, awide or narrow heel, and a wide or narrow ankle.

A shoe constructed according to the Sacchetto technique has notheretofore been combined with an elastic collar upper. This may bebecause it is a considerable technical challenge to align and hold inposition an elastic collar upper while sewing it to the bottom assemblyaccording to the Sacchetto technique. This may be better understood by amore precise analysis of the Sacchetto technique. When preparing partsof a shoe for Sacchetto construction, the pattern for every piece mustbe as precise as possible. The pattern maker will generally cut eachpiece according to a cardboard pattern. There is very little tolerancefor error, with usually only about 1 mm allowed for stitching. The uppersock lining is generally stitched to the vamp to create an upperassembly. The bottom sock lining, optional cushioning material, andpliable inner sole are stitched together to create the bottom assembly.Thereafter, the upper assembly is stitched to the bottom assembly tocreate the Sacchetto “sock.” If, however, elastic strips are firstattached to the collar, as described above, the upper assembly will tendto distort when the elastic is allowed to relax, making it verychallenging to stitch the precisely cut upper pieces to the bottomassembly to create the Sacchetto sock.

Similarly, an open toe shoe constructed in accordance with the Sacchettotechnique is not seen in the prior art due to technical difficultiesencountered when resting the sock lining on the shoemaker's last. Afterthe sock lining is created, it is generally slipped on the last andallowed to rest for a period of time so that the sock takes on thedesirable shape of the last. Since the sock lining is cut to precisedimensions, the last creates a substantial amount of pressure in thesock lining which tends to strain any seams or openings in the socklining. For this reason, it has been thought too difficult to make anopen toe shoe constructed using the Sacchetto technique.

Accordingly, no shoe in the prior art has ever been developed thatcombines the advantages of Sacchetto construction and an elastic collarupper or an open toe upper.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATIONS

FIG. 1A is a side elevation of an improved shoe comprising a Sacchettoconstructed shoe with an elastic collar upper according to theinvention.

FIG. 1B is a side elevation view of the shoe depicted in FIG. 1A shownslipped on a foot.

FIG. 2A is an exploded upper left perspective view of the shoe depictedin FIG. 1A.

FIG. 2B is a modified exploded upper left perspective view similar toFIG. 2A but showing the upper parts of the shoe joined into an upperassembly, the bottom parts joined into a bottom assembly, and a cutawaysection revealing the upper lining.

FIG. 2C is another modified exploded upper left perspective view similarto FIG. 2B showing the upper assembly fastened to the bottom assembly,and a partial cutaway section of the upper revealing the upper lining.

FIG. 2D is an upper left perspective view of the fully assembled shoedepicted in FIG. 1A.

FIG. 3A is a exploded sectional view of the shoe taken along line 3-3 ofFIG. 2D.

FIG. 3B is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2D showing thevamp, upper sock lining and elastic collar strip stitched together.

FIG. 3C is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2D similar tothat shown in FIG. 3B showing the upper sock lining of the upperassembly stitched to the bottom assembly.

FIG. 3D Is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2D similar tothat shown in FIG. 3C showing the outer sole attached to the bottomassembly.

FIG. 4 is an upper left perspective view of an alternate embodiment ofan improved shoe having Sacchetto construction with an open toe.

FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of the shoe depicted in FIG. 4 shownslipped on a foot.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 4 showing thevamp and upper sock lining stitched together, the upper sock lining ofthe upper assembly stitched to the bottom assembly, the vamp attached tothe bottom assembly, and the outer sole attached to the lower edge ofthe vamp and to the bottom assembly.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 4 showing theouter sole attached to the bottom assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT

An improved shoe, comprising a sock lining constructed using theSacchetto technique in combination with an upper having an elasticcollar, is generally indicated at 10 in FIGS. 1A-1B. As shown in FIG.2A, the shoe 10 comprises a vamp 12, an upper sock lining 14 and anelastic strip 16 collectively forming an upper assembly 18. A bottomsock lining 20, cushioning layer 22, and inner sole 24 form a bottomassembly 26. A wedge 28, heel 30 and outer sole 32 complete the bottomcomponents of the shoe 10. FIG. 3A shows these components in theirexploded relative positions in a sectional view through the middleportion of the shoe.

The vamp 12 has an upper edge 34 for defining a foot opening. The upperassembly 18 is fabricated by attaching the upper sock lining 14 vamp 12,and elastic strip 16 at seam S1 as shown in FIG. 3B. In the illustratedembodiment, a lower edge 36 of the elastic strip is attached to the vampsuch that the upper part of the strip extends above the upper edge 34 ofthe vamp 12. However, the invention is intended to embrace attachment ofthe elastic strip to the vamp at any point across the width of thestrip. The elastic strip 20 forms an elastic collar 38 extending aroundthe foot opening of the shoe for hugging the instep of a foot insertedin the shoe 10 such as is shown in FIG. 1B. Stitching is the preferredmodus of attachment for dress shoes although other methods may bepossible such as using certain stretchable adhesives. A completed upperassembly is shown in FIG. 2B.

In the illustrated embodiment a heel liner 40 extends between and joinsthe two rear edges 42 of the upper sock lining 14. This avoidspositioning a potentially uncomfortable seam at the middle of the backof the shoe to join the rear edges 42 of a full length upper sock lining14. The heel liner 40 may a considered part of one form of the uppersock lining 14, but the invention should not be limited to an upper socklining 14 having a heel liner 40, and is intended to include all formsof upper sock linings 16.

The method by which the elastic strip 16 is attached to the vamp 12 andupper sock lining 14 will now be described in detail. The upper edges ofthe vamp 12 and upper sock lining 14 are aligned using seam notches ortemporary markings familiar to those with skill in the art. Strips ofelastic are cut to specific lengths according to the pattern and size ofthe shoe being constructed to make the elastic strip 16. Temporarymarkings are then applied at spaced intervals to the elastic strip 16 sothat when the strip 16 is stretched to a predetermined lengths themarkings align with the seam notches or markings on the vamp 12 or uppersock lining 14 or both. The markings may be made with any temporarymarking substance, such as tailor's chalk, which can be completelyremoved from the material after the shoe has been constructed. Once theelastic strip is properly marked, a length of it is stretched such thatthe marking on the strip aligns with the seam notches or markings on thevamp 12 and upper sock lining 14. The properly stretched length is thenfastened, at S1, to the vamp 12 and upper sock lining 14. Adjacentlengths of the strip 16 are in like fashion fastened to the vamp 12 andupper sock lining 14 until the entire elastic strip 16 has been fastenedin place. The back edges of the strip (not illustrated) are joined witha seam, and generally a pull tab 44 is installed to cover the seam forreasons of comfort and aesthetics. Once the strip 16 is attached to thevamp 12 and upper sock lining 14, the tabs may be trimmed as desired.After the elastic strip 16 has been completely stitched to the vamp 12and upper sock lining 14, it is allowed to retract to its normal stateas seen in FIG. 1A, thereby deforming the vamp 12 to the extent ofrelaxation of the strip 16. Although in the preferred embodiment, theelastic strip 16 extends completely around the collar 24 of the shoe 10,in an alternate embodiment, the elastic strip 16 could extend rearwardlyfrom each side of the throat of the collar 24 to a selected point towardthe rear of the shoe.

As indicated above the bottom assembly 26 of the shoe 10 comprises abottom sock lining 20, an intermediate cushioning layer 22, and an innersole 24 which are combined in a layered construction as shown in FIG.2B. The bottom sock lining 20 is soft and pliable for a comfortable fitagainst the foot. In one embodiment of the shoe, the cushioning layer 22comprises a polyurethane material. Applicant has found that polyurethaneavailable from Rogers Corporation under the Poron® brand providesexcellent support and has very favorable cushioning and memoryproperties. In the illustrated embodiment, the bottom sock lining 20forms the top layer, the cushioning layer 22 the middle layer, and theinner sole 24 the bottom layer of the bottom assembly 26. The perimeteredge 46 (see FIG. 2B) of the bottom assembly 26 is stitched, at S2, asshown in FIGS. 2C and 3C, to the lower attachment edge 47 of the uppersock lining 14 of the upper assembly 18, to form a sock-like bag orlining for surrounding the foot, typical of Sacchetto construction asshown in FIG. 2C. In the illustrated embodiment each side of the uppersock lining 14 extends to the heel area of the shoe. Hence, the lowerattachment edge 47 of the upper sock lining 14 is not stitched to thebottom sock lining 20 near the heel of the shoe. In another embodimentthe upper sock lining 20 will extend completely to the heel and will befastened to the bottom sock lining 20 at all points around the perimeteredge 46. It will be appreciated that the bottom sock lining 20 need notbe stitched along the entire perimeter edge 46 to the upper sock lining14 and that the invention is intended to include shoes in which only aportion of the upper sock lining 14 is attached to only a portion of thebottom sock lining 20. For example, in the embodiment illustrated inFIGS. 4-7, the rearward portion of the bottom sock lining 20 is notstitched to the upper sock lining 14 in order to construct a sling-backtype dress shoe.

The stitched sock lining as shown in FIG. 2C is then slipped on ashoemaker's last where it is generally left to rest for between 24-72hours to allow the sock lining to conform to the shape of the last.Next, the outer sole 32 is applied to the inner sole 24, generally byuse of a strong adhesive, though other known methods may be utilized.Certain kinds of lifts, such as a wedge 28, may be interposed betweenthe inner sole 24 and outer sole 32, using known fastening means,generally a strong adhesive. See FIGS. 2B-2D. Finally, application of aheel tap 48 to the bottom of the wedge 28 completes the shoe 10 as shownin FIG. 2D. Alternatively, a heel (not shown) may be affixed directly tothe inner sole 24 or to the outer sole 32 according to methods known tothose of skill in the art. In shoes where a heel is to be attached, theupper sock lining 14 and bottom sock lining 20 are not stitched in thearea around the heel leaving a rearward portion of the bottom socklining 20 detached from the upper sock lining 14. With the sock liningon the last, after the outer sole 32 is applied to the inner sole 24, asdescribed above, the heel is firmly fixed to the outer sole 32 usuallywith adhesive, as shown in FIGS. 2D and 3D. In a preferred high qualityconstruction, the shoe is removed from the last and a screw is driventhrough the cushioning layer 22, inner sole 24, and outer sole 32 intothe heel for an especially firm attachment. Thereafter, the detachedrear portion of the sock bottom is laid over and secured to the innersole 24 to complete the shoe.

The incorporation of an elastic collar upper into a Sachetto constructedshoe results in a shoe 10 that is light and extraordinarily flexible,and which conforms to and wears securely on the foot.

A sling-back type embodiment of the shoe is indicated generally at 50 inFIG. 4. As shown in FIGS. 4-7 the sling-back embodiment comprises anupper assembly 52 in which is formed a toe opening 54. The bottomassembly 56 of the shoe 50 is similar to that shown in the embodimentillustrated in FIGS. 1-3D. The upper assembly 52 includes a vamp 58having an upper edge 60 for defining a foot opening. An upper socklining 62 is attached to the vamp 60, at S1, as shown in FIG. 6. Thebottom assembly 56 includes a bottom sock lining 64, an inner sole 66,with an intermediate cushioning layer 68.

The bottom assembly 44 is joined to the upper assembly 52, at S2, asshown in FIG. 6, by stitching the lower attachment edge 70 of the uppersock lining 62 to the perimeter edge 72 of the bottom assembly 56 toform a sock lining. As with the embodiment discussed first above, therearward portion 74 of the bottom sock lining 58 is not fastened to theupper sock lining 62 in order to fashion the rearwardly extending strap76. The toe opening 54 is defined by the forward edge 80 of the upperassembly 52 and the forward portion 82 of the bottom assembly 44. SeeFIGS. 4, 5 and 7. An outer sole 84 is attached to the inner sole 66 asshown in FIG. 6. Finally, a heel or wedge 86 may be affixed as discussedabove to complete the shoe 50 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

The open toe embodiment of the invention has all the advantages ofSacchetto construction in a light, flexible, open toe, sling-back styledress sandal.

There have thus been described certain preferred embodiments of animproved shoe. While preferred embodiments have been described anddisclosed, it will be recognized by those with skill in the art thatmodifications are within the true spirit and scope of the invention. Theappended claims are intended to cover all such modifications.

1. A flexible foot-conforming shoe comprising: a vamp and an upper socklining attached to said vamp, said vamp having an upper edge, said uppersock lining having a lower attachment edge, an elastic strip fastened tosaid upper edge of said vamp to form an upper assembly having an elasticcollar for hugging the collar of the shoe to the instep of a footinserted in the shoe, and a bottom assembly having a bottom sock lining,said bottom sock lining having a perimeter edge, said lower attachmentedge of said upper sock lining fastened to said perimeter edge to form asock lining for surrounding the foot.
 2. The shoe of claim 1 wherein:said upper sock lining is attached to said upper edge of said vamp. 3.The shoe of claim 1 wherein: said upper sock lining is stitched to saidbottom sock lining.
 4. The shoe of claim 3 wherein: said bottom socklining has a rearward portion, and said upper sock lining is notstitched to said rearward portion of said bottom sock lining.
 5. Theshoe of claim 1 wherein: said bottom assembly has an inner sole and acushioning layer interposed between said bottom sock lining and saidinner sole.
 6. The shoe of claim 5 further comprising: an outer soleattached to said inner sole.
 7. The shoe of claim 6 further comprising:a wedge interposed between said inner sole and said outer sole.
 8. Theshoe of claim 6 further comprising: a heel affixed to said outer sole.9. A flexible foot-conforming shoe comprising: an upper assembly havinga vamp and an upper sock lining attached to said vamp, said vamp havingan upper edge for defining a foot opening, said upper sock liningattached to said upper edge of said vamp, said upper sock lining havinga lower attachment edge, an elastic strip fastened to said upper edge ofsaid vamp to form an elastic collar for hugging the collar of the shoeto the instep of a foot inserted in the shoe, a bottom assemblycomprising a bottom sock linings an inner sole, an intermediatecushioning layer interposed between said bottom sock lining and saidinner sole, and a perimeter edge, said lower attachment edge of saidupper sock lining fastened to said perimeter edge to form a sock liningfor surrounding the foot, and an outer sole affixed to said inner sole.10. A method of making a flexible foot-conforming shoe, comprising:fastening an elastic strip to a vamp at an upper edge of said vamp andto an upper sock lining to form an upper assembly having an elasticcollar for hugging the collar of the shoe to the instep of a footinserted in the shoe, and fastening a lower attachment edge of saidupper sock lining to a perimeter edge of a bottom sock lining to form asock lining for surrounding the foot.
 11. The method of making a shoe ofclaim 10 wherein: said fastening said lower attachment edge of saidupper sock lining to said perimeter edge of said bottom sock lining isperformed by stitching.
 12. The method of making a shoe of claim 11wherein: said fastening of said elastic strip to said vamp and to saidupper sock lining is performed by stitching.
 13. A flexiblefoot-conforming shoe comprising: an upper assembly having a vamp, anupper sock lining and a forward edge, said vamp having an upper edge fordefining a foot opening, said upper sock lining attached to said vamp,and said upper sock lining having a lower attachment edge, a bottomassembly having a bottom sock lining and a forward portion, said bottomsock lining having a perimeter edge, said lower attachment edge of saidupper sock lining fastened to said perimeter edge to form a sock liningfor surrounding the foot, and a toe opening defined by said forward edgeof said upper assembly and said forward portion of said bottom assembly.14. The shoe of claim 13 wherein: said upper sock lining is attached tosaid upper edge of said vamp.
 15. The shoe of claim 13 wherein: saidupper sock lining is stitched to said bottom sock lining.
 16. The shoeof claim 13 wherein: said bottom sock lining has a rearward portion, andsaid upper sock lining is detached from said rearward portion of saidbottom sock lining.
 17. The shoe of claim 13 wherein: said bottomassembly has an inner sole and a cushioning layer interposed betweensaid bottom sock lining and said inner sole.
 18. The shoe of claim 17further comprising: an outer sole attached to said inner sole.
 19. Theshoe of claim 18 further comprising: a wedge interposed between saidinner sole and said outer sole.
 20. The shoe of claim 18 furthercomprising: a heel affixed to said outer sole.
 21. A flexiblefoot-conforming shoe comprising: an upper assembly having a vamp, anupper sock lining and a forward edge, said vamp having an upper edge fordefining a foot opening, said upper sock lining attached to said vamp,and said upper sock lining having a lower attachment edge, a bottomassembly having a bottom sock lining, an inner sole, a cushioning layer,a forward portion, and a perimeter edge, said cushioning layerinterposed between said bottom sock lining and said inner sole, saidlower attachment edge of said upper sock lining fastened to saidperimeter edge of said bottom sock lining to form a sock lining forsurrounding the foot, and a toe opening defined by said forward edge ofsaid upper assembly and said forward portion of said bottom assembly.